


When I'm With You It's Like Everything Glows

by xLoveMx



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pining, but ricky is the bigger one, caswen, holiday fic, they're both idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28369107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLoveMx/pseuds/xLoveMx
Summary: Right, he was in a cabin in upstate New York with EJ, waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive, and for some reason he had thought that it would be a good idea to share a bed with his friend, who he happened to have a crush on.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell
Comments: 4
Kudos: 68





	When I'm With You It's Like Everything Glows

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a little treat for all of you, because every pairing should have at least one fic with the trope "coffee shop au", "fake relationship" and "Oh no we're snowed in" and now I have managed to write two of those for our boys! :P
> 
> I hope you all had a good Holiday season and that you can enjoy this little story of me indulging in having snow, when it's really been raining non stop for three days here. 
> 
> Listen to the little playlist to go along with the story if you like, and tell me what you think! x  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/690y1gOr7JUh2ofgRXGmPP

_‘Last Christmas’_ was blaring from the radio for about the third time this hour, and Ricky once again found himself thinking about how last Christmas had definitely been different than this year’s. After the success of their musical, Miss Jenn had organized a Christmas concert, which had gone over relatively smoothly, up until the point where Nini had pulled him aside to talk. He still hadn’t been great at talking about his feelings, but that talk had been long overdue, because while Ricky had confessed his love for her, he hadn’t done it for the right reasons, and they had both known it.

He cared about Nini, and the thought of losing his best friend once more, had terrified him to no end, but their relationship had never been quite the same after that summer. The fact that he had developed an interest in Gina should have been a sign, but at that point he had stumbled head over heels into the production of a musical, where he had somehow landed the lead role, just trying to keep his head above water. Pursuing Gina hadn’t seemed right either though, even though she had eventually returned to finish her junior and senior year at East High, living with Ashlyn, and Ricky had found that being single after having been in a relationship for so long wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He had managed to focus on school for a little bit, and even found that maybe musicals weren’t such a bad thing after all when he had auditioned for the Spring Musical, though Ricky definitely hadn’t aimed for the lead this time around.

It had been EJ’s senior year and even though the lead in a school musical wouldn’t be the be all and end all, it was going to look nice on his application nonetheless, and Ricky was content to take the backseat this time around, especially since he had to admit that he was actually enjoying himself now that he wasn’t simultaneously trying to win back Nini.

“ _Last Christmas I gave you my heart_...” EJ was singing along to the radio quietly under his breath, fingers tapping against the steering wheel, and it made Ricky smile.

They had gotten along much better once they weren’t competing for Nini anymore, and even though EJ and him were pretty different, Ricky had to admit that he enjoyed being around him a lot, and when the other boy had gone off to New York, it had definitely not been easy for either of them. For a while he had told himself that it wasn’t as bad, until EJ had face timed him right after orientation to tell him all about it and Ricky, for some reason, had almost started crying.

They had talked almost every day after that, with EJ facetiming him at random times and Ricky finding himself eager to respond just to hear the other’s voice. A year ago, that would have been almost unthinkable, but now it had become part of their daily routine, so when EJ had suggested that they all rented a cabin in upstate New York over winter break, Ricky had been the first one to agree.

Having spent Christmas with his Mom and her boyfriend, Ricky had ended up flying from Chicago to New York and the 26th, and they had all decided that EJ and him would make their way to the cabin that day, preparing everything for when the others would join them on the 27th. It was a long way from Albuquerque to New York, even on a plane, so they’d be staying at EJ’s apartment overnight, and then making their way up to Windham the next day.

“What do you want for dinner tonight, by the way?” The song on the radio had changed, and Ricky tore his eyes away from the road, focusing back on EJ. It had started snowing the moment they had left New York, and it hadn’t stopped since. “I made sure they stocked the whole place with the essentials we need, but we can still stop to get the special stuff,”

Sometimes Ricky forgot how rich EJ actually was. The cabin they had rented, even though they had all chipped in, was way out most of their price ranges, but EJ had insisted to pay for most of it, and neither of them had really needed much convincing. It would be nice to have actual snow for once and being able to spend winter break and New Year’s with all of their friends was amazing, especially if they could possibly turn this into a yearly tradition. Besides: Everyone knew that EJ’s parents weren’t really around for New Year’s anyway. In fact, Ricky also knew that they hadn’t even insisted that he’d come home for Christmas, so he hadn’t. Instead he had spent the evening watching _The Rockettes_ at _Radio City Music Hall,_ followed by facetiming Ricky on the way home.

He had been meaning to visit the other boy, but things had gotten busy, so this was the first time they had seen each other since the summer, and Ricky had almost been a little sad that they didn’t have more time in the city. New York seemed magical during Christmas, with all its decorations and the giant tree at Rockefeller Center, which they had briefly passed as EJ had picked up the rental car. He did have his own, but the cabin was located in the mountains, surrounded by trees, and a sports car really wasn’t the right vehicle to be driving around in there.

“Are you cooking?” Ricky replied with a chuckle, leaning back in his seat. He was actually looking forward to it, because despite what everyone might have thought: EJ was actually a pretty decent cook. It was something they had in common, because they had both learned to cook as a response to the absence of their parents, or in Ricky’s case: The absence of his mother and his father’s inability to not burn whatever he put on the stove. EJ’s family had a maid that had been cooking for them, and especially EJ whenever he had been left home alone because his parents were on business or charity trips, but instead of being lazy, he had actually let himself be taught how to cook a few meals, and Ricky supposed the reason for it, at least partly, was that he would get some human interaction, and Sarah, the cook, was actually a really nice lady. She had outdone herself with the buffet for EJ’s graduation party, and Ricky had gone home with so many containers filled with food that him and his Dad had been able to eat from it for an entire week afterwards.  
“If you want me to, yeah.” He replied with a laugh as he changed lanes, the tune on the radio changing along with it once more, now playing _White Christmas_ , quite fitting considering it still hadn’t stopped snowing. The slightly snowy roads slowed them down once they got off the Highway, but it wasn’t long until they managed to park the car on the side of the road in Windham, just opposite the town’s only grocery store. Upon entering, however, it seemed to be more of a general store, where you could buy anything you needed, from canned foods to vegetables, winter clothes and shoes, along with decorations of all kinds. Ricky couldn’t help but pick up a Santa hat and turn around, putting it on EJ’s head swiftly. It suited him remarkably well, really, and the smile that appeared on the other boy’s lips completed the look. “You know, I’m surprised Miss Jenn didn’t make us wear these for the Christmas concert last year,” He then chuckled, reaching for antlers that had been resting in the same pile with the Christmas hats.

“I mean, to be fair, we probably used up all the budget we had for the musical. If there was any budget at all.” Ricky replied with a laugh, ignoring the way his heart missed a beat when EJ placed the antlers on his head, so that they were now both spreading the Christmas cheer.

“We definitely need to send a picture to Nini, she’d never forgive us if we didn’t,” he then added, taking out his phone and pulling Ricky to his side so he could snap a picture. The antlers were almost too big to actually fit, but Ricky was distracted by the way EJ was close now, his familiar scent and warmth making him just a little dizzy. He had thought about hugging EJ the moment he had seen him, but then the airport had been crowded and they had somehow missed the moment, and it would have felt awkward to ask for it. Still, he’d definitely been thinking about it which, at first, had been a little weird, because neither of them were really the hugging type, but Ricky had found himself thinking about hugging EJ whenever they talked on the phone or facetimed, because despite what everyone might have thought, EJ gave great hugs. For now it was an arm wrapped around his waist though, faces close together as the picture was taken. Rick almost complained when EJ pulled back, but then thought better of it.

“I take it we’re buying these then, huh?” He chuckled, and EJ laughed in response.

“Absolutely. And we’re getting some for the others, too!” It wasn’t long until they had bought what they thought they would need, including a huge bag of marshmallows for hot chocolate and the missing ingredients for dinner tonight, which would be EJ’s famous pasta. Ricky wasn’t entirely sure what was in it, only that it was the other’s go to, with EJ usually cooking while they facetimed to talk about their days. It had almost become a ritual, and now he was going to actually be around for EJ to cook, which was a little surreal, but enough to make him smile.

The drive up to the cabin took them about thirty minutes, and suddenly they were both glad that they had taken the rental car, because the road was quickly becoming steeper and icier since it hadn’t stopped snowing. The cabin was nestled at the edge of the woods, on one side surrounded by trees, while the porch on the front overlooked what was probably usually a field but was now completely covered in snow. The cabin was made of wood, which had been painted in a dark red, making the whole thing stand out against the snow. It looked cozy from the get-go, which was only confirmed once they stepped inside. There was an open living room area with a fireplace, which was separated from the kitchen by a big wooden dining table. There was a bathroom to the back, along with one of the bedrooms, with the other ones being upstairs, accessible through the stairs by the fireplace.

The furniture was modern, but still cozy, and there was a Christmas tree still up near the fireplace and Ricky instantly felt at home. This was definitely not a place he could have afforded, but he was glad that they had all decided to give what they could and let EJ, or his parents, pay the rest.

“Wow, this place is amazing.” He exclaimed, putting down his suitcase, eyes roaming over everything, before landing on EJ. He was still wearing the Santa hat they had purchased, even though Ricky had taken off the antlers, but mainly because he wouldn’t have fit into the car with them on his head. “I’ll get a fire going if you get the rest of the groceries?”

There was some wood beside the fireplace already, and from reading through the website, Ricky knew that there was more stored in the shed outside.

“Sounds like a plan,” EJ replied, giving him one of those trademark smiles that made Ricky’s heart stumble just a little. Quickly shaking the feeling off, he shrugged off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the chairs, before turning his attention towards the fireplace. It took him a couple of tries, but by the time EJ had finished sorting all of the things they had bought onto the shelves and into cupboards, Ricky had managed to get the fire going. Glancing outside, he noticed that it still hadn’t stopped snowing, so the fire seemed twice as cozy.

“Gina texted, by the way.” EJ eventually spoke again as he stepped up towards the fireplace. “Nini, Kourtney and she made it to my apartment. The others are flying in tonight.” They’d be leaving New York tomorrow after breakfast, which meant that they’d be reaching the cabin around noon, which gave EJ and Ricky enough time to get everything sorted and maybe even have lunch ready by the time they made it here.

“Wanna go check what’s outside?” It was still snowing, but the fire was warming up the place, and since it was still light outside, they might as well take a look around. Ricky knew that the shed was out back, and maybe they could bring in some more firewood, just in case.

They had quickly changed back into their warm clothes, before stepping out onto the porch, from where a few steps lead down into an open field. Ricky could barely see the three line a few hundred feet out, and before he could even try and comprehend where the shed was, he felt something cold hit the back of his head.

“...what?” Turning around he caught a glimpse of EJ, who had a grin on his face and was bending down to gather more snow. “Oh no, stop it!” Ricky was laughing as he stumbled to scoop up some snow himself. He was already sinking in up to his ankles, managing to get one good hit before another snowball hit him square in the face and sent him coughing.

“How do you even do that?” He then called, watching as EJ caught up to him with ease.

“Captain of the water polo team, remember?” he then laughed, and Ricky barely managed to duck from the next snowball that came flying. Sending another one flying, he managed to hit EJ one more time before the other boy had fully caught up to him, and before Ricky could even say anything, EJ had pulled him to the ground, the both of them tumbling into the snow.

It took him a while to regain his composure, but if he was being honest the Ricky found it flying out the metaphorical window just moment later, when he realized that EJ was, in fact, on top of him. It took a few seconds for his mind to catch up with everything, his eyes catching sight of the snowflakes that were gathering in his friend’s hair. Ricky reached up almost automatically to brush them off, before realizing what he was doing.

“Uh. You win,” he then muttered, his cheeks heating up ever so slightly, and he was a little proud of himself for not complaining when EJ actually got off of him a moment later, extending his hand to help him up.

“Sorry, the opportunity was just too good to pass up on.” The other boy then laughed. “I’ll make it up to you with hot chocolate?” Ricky, who was too busy ignoring the way his heart was beating rapidly in his chest, simply nodded as he shook off the snow, before they made their way back towards the cabin.

Luckily for the both of them, there was another bathroom upstairs, so both of them could shower once they got back, and Ricky might have even stayed a little longer than necessary, just to calm down his racing heartbeat. EJ had simply caught him off guard, it was something that happened quite frequently really, like that first time he had face timed him from New York, a wide grin on his face, making Ricky forget what he’d been doing, and really, it was nothing to worry about, at least that was what he kept telling himself.

Once he had changed into some sweatpants and a warm hoodie, which was just a little too big, with his hands disappearing into the sleeves, Ricky made his way downstairs. He found EJ in the kitchen, adding some marshmallows into the whipped cream of the hot chocolate he had promised. “Hey, you want some sprinkles?” He then asked with a grin, and Ricky was sure that Nini and the others would have been jealous if they had seen this masterpiece. The whole thing was even complete with a red and white straw, and when EJ handed it over after adding the sprinkles, it looked almost too good to actually drink it.

“You’re always good for a surprise, you know?” He then chuckled, wrapping his hands around the mug as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

“If you only knew,” EJ muttered, the hint of a smile on his face. “Now, how’s that fire?”

-

They had settled down onto the couch with their hot chocolate, talking about this and that, and at some point, Ricky must have fallen asleep. He had gotten up early that day, wanting to spend as much quality time with his Mom before his flight to New York, and it must have tired him out more than he had realized. He woke up when it was already dark outside, though that could have really been any time after 4pm, to the smell of food in the air. There was a blanket draped over him, and as he peered over the edge of the couch, he could see EJ in the kitchen area, moving things about and pulling plates from the shelves.

“Well hello there, sleepy head.” He laughed once he had caught sight of Ricky, and luckily for Ricky the other boy was too far away to see him blush.

“Sorry.” He then muttered, sitting up and trying to shake off the sleepy feeling. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you,” It dawned on him then that EJ must have covered him with the blanket when he had fallen asleep, and once again Ricky found his heart stumbling just a little.

_That’s a thing friends do,_ He then quickly reminded himself, _I would have done that for any one my friends_ , which was true, and yet there was something about the whole thing that seemed special. Ricky couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was though, and it was driving him a little crazy.

“All good man, you looked like you needed it,” EJ then replied with a smile, as he watched the other boy join him in the kitchen to grab the plates so he could set the table, before putting some more wood into the fire to keep it going. The whole cabin had warmed up nicely, and there was something about the subtle light of the fire shining into the room that only added to the coziness of it all. Some might have called it romantic, but that really was the last thing on either of their minds, right?

“Smells delicious,” Ricky shook the thought off as he placed the plates on the table along with anything else they would need for dinner.

“I’ve made this so many times I could probably do it in my sleep and still get it perfectly right,” EJ chuckled in response as he carried the pans over towards the dining table.

“Wow. Modesty’s not really your thing, huh?” Ricky couldn’t help but tease with a laugh, which earned him another trademark smile form EJ.

“Hey now, I made you hot chocolate and dinner and I let you sleep.”

“Yeah, but you also viciously attacked me from behind, so we’re even now.” Ricky countered with a laugh, to which EJ raised his hands in defeat.

“Fine. I did win that snowball fight though,” He then nodded, causing Ricky to raise an eyebrow.

“With an unfair advantage, yeah.” He wasn’t going to admit that most of that advantage had consisted of Ricky being distracted by EJ’s face being so close to his. It wasn’t like they were never flirty around each other, but Ricky had figured that this was just part of EJ’s personality, and now that he was part of his inner circle of friends, that also extended towards Ricky. He still remembered the first time EJ had sent him a kiss emoji when texting him goodnight, and how he had done a double take. In fact, it had taken him half an hour to respond, most of that time being spent wondering if EJ had sent that emoji by accident.

These days, however, it had become pretty normal for them to not only text each other goodnight, but also attach various emojis, including the kiss one. Ricky had told himself that it wasn’t a big deal, and that Nini and Gina sent it to each other all the time, and yet he still couldn’t quite ignore the way his stomach fluttered just a little every time he saw the emoji pop up.

“Keep going and you won’t see me cooking for you anymore.” EJ replied, though his lips were curved into a grin that told Ricky that he was just teasing. It was nice, to actually be in the same room together. Not that he didn’t enjoy the times they facetimed with EJ usually cooking or trying to memorize a monologue, while Ricky finished his homework or complained about one of Miss Jenn’s strange trust exercises, but it was different still. Ricky had come to enjoy theatre, he really had, but he still hadn’t quite recovered from the time Big Red had dropped him on the floor because he hadn’t been paying attention to what Miss Jenn had been saying and had then been too embarrassed to ask.

“So, I was thinking about sleeping arrangements,” EJ began as he loaded some of the pasta onto his fork. “I think the girls wanna share, and so do Carlos and Seb.”

“And Big Red is sleeping on the couch, because there’s no way anyone is getting any sleep if they’re sharing with him.” Ricky had come to use earplugs whenever his best friend slept over, but even that wasn’t enough sometimes.

“Which leaves us sharing a room.” EJ nodded, and Ricky really hadn’t thought that through, had he?

“I guess so. If that’s cool?” He managed, shoving some of the pasta into his mouth just so he was occupied for a moment.

“Yeah sure. I mean, we get to call dibs on the best room.” EJ grinned in response, and even though Ricky was glad that things apparently weren’t awkward, he could already feel his stomach fluttering again.

_Get it together,_ He thought as he picked up some more of the pasta. It really didn’t help that it might have been the best pasta Ricky had ever tasted.

-

They spent the evening on the couch, watching _Hamilton_. Nini had made him watch It about five times already, but Ricky didn’t really mind seeing it again. It was a great musical, he had to admit as much, and considering he already knew what was happening it wasn’t the end of the world when he found himself getting a little distracted by the way EJ pretty much mouthed along to every song, fingers tapping on the arm rest. It was adorable, really, and at this rate Ricky was going to lose it before the rest of their friends got here.

It was strange, because he had been able to push these kind of thoughts to the back of his mind pretty easily, and the fact that he found himself waiting for the other boy to call was something that he was able to ignore most of the time, but now that EJ was actually here, Ricky felt like he was automatically gravitating towards him, and it probably didn’t help that they were the only two people in this cabin.

It wasn’t like he had never been attracted to boys, in fact he had talked about it with Nini after their breakup, and she had just smiled and nodded, like it was no big deal, and maybe it really wasn’t. Maybe it had only been a big deal in his head, because he had meant to stay with Nini forever, so being attracted to literally anyone else, hadn’t been something he had allowed himself to care about, but then they had broken up, and EJ had moved to New York, and whenever he called Ricky over facetime he somehow managed to look even more attractive than the last time, whether it was right after waking up with his hair all messed up and no shirt, or while he was making dinner in an old, oversized shirt, furrowing his brows because he was concentrating on a new recipe so hard.

“Are you even listening to me?” Ricky found himself blinking as EJ came back into focus, and then he felt heat rising to his cheeks instantly.

“Sorry. Yeah. I was just...so into the song.” At least Hamilton was pretty much exclusively composed of songs and not a lot of spoken dialogue, so he couldn’t go wrong with that at least.

“You mean the credits?” EJ replied, and the slightly teasing smile on his face only had Ricky blushing harder as he glanced at the TV only to find that, yes, the credits were currently playing, and probably had been for a while.

“Yeah well. Uh...they shouldn’t be disregarded.” He eventually managed, resisting the urge to simply make a run for it. It didn’t really help that they had decided to share a room, and therefore a bed, and changing his opinion on that now would only make things weird.

“It’s been a long day, sorry.” Ricky added, before grabbing the empty mugs on the table. “Maybe we should get some rest. I’m sure the others wouldn’t want us to be tired when they arrive tomorrow.” It was a lame excuse, because the others probably wouldn’t be here until midday, or early afternoon even, and yet Ricky could slowly feel his filters failing him, and If he stayed around EJ any longer, he would probably let something slip he’d regret later on.

“Right. Wouldn’t want to be yelled at by Nini,” EJ chuckled as he followed Ricky into the kitchen to clean up a little before they both made their way upstairs.

Ricky had already changed into comfortable clothes when they had gotten out of the shower earlier on, so he didn’t bother changing again, but of course EJ did, and Ricky couldn’t help but stare a little longer when the other boy stepped into the room, wearing the oversized, well-worn shirt that Ricky had often seen him in over facetime, when they had talked about their days.

It was so oddly familiar that it made his heart stumble in his chest, and he found himself pulling up the blanket almost to his nose as EJ slipped under the covers. “Good night,” He muttered, and then found that the only good thing about having basically traveled all day, was that he was too tired to let himself overthink all of this any more than he already had, because the moment his head hit the pillow, Ricky was asleep.

-

When he woke up the next day, he needed a moment to realize just where he was. Light was streaming in through the curtains already, and even though the bed and room were unfamiliar, the company wasn’t. EJ’s face was only inches away from his own, the other boy’s eyes still closed and his breath even where he slept, and suddenly Rick was wide awake, fighting the instinct to jerk away.

He could feel his heart beating faster in his chest as he closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Right, he was in a cabin in upstate New York with EJ, waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive, and for some reason he had thought that it would be a good idea to share a bed with his friend, who he happened to have a crush on.

_Smart Ricky, really smart._

“Good morning. What time is it?” EJ’s voice was still rough from sleep and when Ricky focused back on him, he had one eye cracked open, his lips curved into a slight smile.

“Uh...hold on.” Clearing his throat, he reached back to fumble for his phone, because he couldn’t quite tear his eyes away from the other boy, even though he knew he really should not have been looking at him any longer than necessary.

Having to look at his phone, however, he had to tear his eyes away eventually, noticing that the display wasn’t only showing the time, which happened to be 9:04am, but also five missed calls from Nini and a bunch of texts from her and Big Red.

“What’s wrong?” EJ must have noticed the confused expression on his face, because he had sat up, reaching for his phone. “Gina tried to call me like...four times.”

Going through the messages he had received, Ricky’s eyes went wide for a moment and he quickly swung his legs out of bed and pulled the curtains to the side. “Well damn.”

EJ had stepped up next to him, his eyes falling on the landscape that they were looking over, which was completely covered in snow. Even the trees on the bottom of the hill were barely visible, blending right in. “We’re snowed in.”

It didn’t seem to have stopped snowing since last night, and while the sky had cleared up now there were still flakes falling from the sky, adding to the white blanket that had covered pretty much anything they could see. “Gina said it’s pure chaos on the highway according to the news,” He then continued, turning to hold up his phone. “They didn’t even make it out of the city. Guess that means it’s just you and me until everything goes back to normal. Breakfast?”

-

There were at least ten inches of snow on the porch, and opening the door would be a hustle, so it was a good thing neither of them were planning on going outside anyway. Fortunately, they had bought most of the stuff they would need for the week, so there was no real reason to make an attempt at getting out. Well, except for the fact that Ricky could already feel himself freaking out just a little.

He needed a grip on his feelings if he wanted to survive these next few days, but it was already proving to be a hard task when he found EJ in the kitchen, still dressed in what he’d been wearing to sleep, making pancakes.

“So, I talked to Gina while you were in the shower, and she said they’re all good, though Big Red did slip on the icy pavement while they were trying to get into the car. He’s fine, but neither of them were really up for even trying to brave their way through traffic,” He then chuckled, shaking his head. “It stopped snowing in the city though, so if they’re lucky they might be able to get here by tomorrow, or the day after,” Pushing a plate of pancakes across the counter, EJ smiled. “I left the blueberries out,”

“Why?” Ricky automatically asked as he picked up a fork.

“Because I always see you making a face over the phone when I make mine with blueberries, so I assumed you just don’t like them.” And there it was again, the way his heart stumbled and missed a beat and really, it would have been so easy to just lean across the table and kiss the other boy, except that EJ was his friend, and trying to kiss him was certainly going to make these next few days awkward and that was really the last thing he wanted.

“Thanks,” He muttered, and instead of leaning forward, Ricky cut off a large chunk of the pancakes, stuffing it in his mouth.

They spent most of the day inside, watching some more movies on Netflix as they kept the fire going. One of them would eventually have to go out to the shed and get some more if they wanted to make it through the rest of the week, but it was still snowing lightly and temperatures had fallen below zero, so for now they were both staying inside. EJ had eventually settled down at the piano in the corner, playing some Christmas songs and Ricky was humming along before joining him with his guitar. It was a very festive atmosphere, and even though Christmas was technically already over, neither of them seemed to mind.

“Have you ever played?” EJ eventually asked, and Ricky shook his head, putting his guitar aside.

“We’ve never had a piano. I mean...I know how to read notes obviously, and I’ve watched a few tutorials when I was bored, but that’s about it.”

“Come on, we can play _Carol Of The Bells._ I’ll teach you how to play the bells, it’s just a few notes,” And before he could even reply, EJ had patted the spot next to him on the bench and Ricky had settled down, feeling his heart beat just a little faster as the other boy reached out to place Ricky’s hands on the keys. “Alright, you just do these, and I’ll do the rest,” EJ then smiled, and Ricky really gave himself a lot of credit for remembering to play the notes when he was really just distracted by EJ and the way playing almost effortlessly. He was talented in many ways, and it almost seemed embarrassing now that Ricky had absolutely hated him for it.

Glancing over, he noticed that they had both stopped playing, and it would have been easy to lean in the rest of the way, closing the gap between them. Ricky, against his better judgement, found himself searching for a sign, anything really, in EJ’s eyes, but before he could even begin to find anything, the sound of his phone ringing had them jerk apart slightly.

“Uh.” Ricky could feel himself blushing as he pulled out the phone, noticing Nini’s name flashing up on the display. “I should...probably get that.”

“Yeah. Right. I’ll get started on dinner.” EJ nodded as he watched the other boy make his way across the room to take the call, before shaking his head and heading off into the kitchen.

“Are you guys okay?” Ricky found himself asking as he settled down by the fireplace, his back turned towards the kitchen so he wouldn’t get distracted by looking at EJ. His heart was still racing in his chest and he was trying his best to calm it down, but it wasn’t easy.

“You’ve been to EJ’s apartment, this is probably the best place we could during this snow chaos.” Nini chuckled in response. “What about you guys? Have you kissed yet?”

Ricky almost did a double take at that, and he could feel his cheeks heating up once more.

“W-What?” Maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, considering she knew him better than anyone else, and yet he felt his stomach drop slightly at her words.

“Ricky, please. You guys talk to each other every day, and you even text each other goodnight, we didn’t even do that when we were still dating,” Nini continued, and he could almost imagine the look on her face, one eyebrow raised and lips curved into a soft smile. “And the way you talk about him? I mean come on, I would hope that was the way you talked about me to other people.” There was no judgment in her voice, and Ricky was more than glad about that, and yet he didn’t feel like this was something he could talk about with her, at least not right now, when he was stuck in this cabin with EJ, with no real way of getting away from his feelings.

“Right. Uh...I should probably go back to helping with dinner. EJ needs me,”

“No he doesn’t,” Nini shot back with a chuckle. “But tell him I said hi. And Ricky? Just take a risk every once in a while? I promise, it pays off.”

Sighing, he ended the call, staring into the fire for a good minute, before eventually getting up to take his way into the kitchen, where EJ greeted him with a smile. “Everything okay?”

Ricky nodded as he stepped up to the counter where EJ was cutting vegetables. “Yeah. New York is fine, it stopped snowing and they’re trying to clear the Highways, so if they’re lucky they can come up tomorrow. Until then they’re just piled up in your apartment, so it could be worse,”

“I’m glad we’re all having a good time then, huh?” Ricky found that it was getting harder and harder to ignore the way he gravitated towards the other boy, and if he was going to survive the days in here with him, then he’d really have to get a grip on himself.

“Yeah...I should...uh...probably get some firewood, we’re running a bit low.” He then muttered, running a hand through his hair, before turning away.

“You don’t have to. I’m sure we’ll be fine until tomorrow.” EJ replied, his hand coming to rest on top of Ricky’s to keep him in place, and Ricky’s heart did a double take.

“No...no. I should...I’ll be right back.” He then added, trying to offer a smile as he pulled back and headed for the door to grab his coat. It took him a moment to pry the porch door open without letting half the snow fall into the cabin, but once he was out, the cold air hit him like a brick, and Ricky’s teeth began clattering almost instinctively. There had been snow in Chicago, and it had been colder than back home, but none of that really compared to just how freezing it was up here.

Cursing under his breath, he managed to almost make it down the stairs in one piece, but unfortunately the last step had disappeared under a layer of snow and so he missed it by an inch, finding himself slipping and landing face down in the snow, not quite being able to hold on to the railing to steady himself.

“Oh come on!” He managed to sit up, wiping the snow off his face and instantly feeling the cold seep through his now wet clothes. It felt quite fitting to how his day had gone so far, and yet Ricky was still cursing as he finally got back to his feet and eventually made his way over to the shed, trying to unlock it, his fingers already numb from the cold.  
It took him about twice as long to make it back inside then, because he didn’t want to risk falling over again, especially not while carrying a bunch of firewood with him. When Ricky stepped back into cabin, the warmth enveloped him, and yet he found himself shivering, his clothes completely soaked.

“What happened?” EJ had dropped everything and made his way over, actual concern visible on his face as he took the firewood from Ricky, placing it on the floor, before reaching for a blanket from the couch to wrap it around the other boy. Ricky had barely managed to shake off his jacket and shoes, still shivering, as EJ pulled the blanket around his shoulders even tighter.

“I’m fine. It’s just...not really been my day.” He didn’t know what else to say without giving too much away and really, it was hard, because the only person he really wanted to talk to about this with was EJ, because they talked about everything, but coincidentally EJ was also the only person he couldn’t talk to.

“You should probably take a shower before you catch a cold, huh?” EJ then replied, reaching up to brush a few snowflakes from Ricky’s hair, his voice soft as he spoke, and Ricky didn’t have the energy to pull back. “Wouldn’t want you to spend the whole trip here in bed. I mean, not for reasons of a cold anyway,” And there it was again, that trademark smile that, combined with the implications of what they could spend time in bed doing, that made Ricky blush again. He was sure that EJ was joking, he had to be, and yet his body was betraying him with its reactions.

“Uh...yeah. I should...yeah.” He found himself muttering then, doing his best to tear his eyes away from the other boy’s as he eventually shuffled up the stairs.

-

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed in the shower, but eventually he had stopped shaking, and it didn’t feel like the cold was seeping into his bones anymore, so Ricky eventually turned the water off and stepped out, wrapping himself in one of the fluffy towels. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that EJ was just messing with him. They were friends, and friends did that sort of thing, right?

If he was being honest then he didn’t have much experience with flirting, considering how long Nini and him had been a couple, and when they had called it quits for good, he hadn’t really felt like getting right back into the dating game. Hell, he hadn’t even known just how much he liked EJ until they had seen each other again, and now he was stuck in this weird limbo of feelings, simultaneously wanting to kiss the other boy all the time, but also not wanting to risk their friendship.

Sighing, Ricky slipped into some comfortable clothes and, taking a deep breath, made his way back downstairs, where EJ was setting up the table.

“Feel better?” He asked with a smile, and Ricky nodded as he sat down.

“Yeah, much better. It was worth it though if it means we won’t freeze due to wood shortage.” He then replied with a slight smile. “This smells great.”

They spent the rest of the night watching more movies, watching as the snow outside eventually stopped falling. Despite taking a fall, however, Ricky wasn’t quite as tired as he had been yesterday, so he found himself tossing and turning next to EJ in the bed when they went to sleep eventually. The fact that the other boy was only a couple of inches away from him did nothing to help him sleep, and so he eventually ended up slipping into a hoodie before making his way back downstairs.

The fire had almost burnt out, but the Christmas tree lights were still on, giving him enough light to not trip over anything as he stepped up to the porch door, glancing outside. It was pitch black out there, but the clouds had disappeared and left Ricky with a view of stars twinkling above. It was peaceful, as opposed to the turmoil going on in Ricky’s head, and he was almost tempted to call Nini just to have someone to talk to, but it didn’t feel right. It was way past midnight at this point, and if they were really going to make an attempt at driving tomorrow, then they’d have to get a decent amount of sleep.

Leaning his head against the glass he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He should have probably just gone back to bed and...

“Can’t sleep?” EJ’s voice pulled him from his thoughts and Ricky turned to find the other boy at the foot of the stairs, looking at him with his lips curved into a somewhat sleepy smile. It was adorable, to say the least, and he felt that it was getting harder and harder to actually keep his feelings from rising to the surface. Maybe it would have been easier to just confess right now and suffer the awkwardness of rejection until their friends got here, as opposed to hiding his feelings and feeling like he was about to burst at any given second.

“Yeah...I mean...no. Look...I have to tell you something.” Ricky’s stomach twisted ever so slightly as he watched EJ step up to him, his head cocked to the side just a little. “I...uh...and I don’t know how to really start, because...” He trailed off, shaking his head.

“You like me?” EJ tried, and Ricky’s face must have been a sight to see, because the other boy chuckled ever so slightly.

“I...uh...how...”

“Is that a yes? I hope it is, because otherwise that would make this a little awkward.” EJ continued with a smile, and Ricky had barely noticed how the other boy had raised an arm over their heads. Following it now though, his eyes caught sight of EJ’s phone, which displayed the picture of a mistletoe.

“Really?” He couldn’t help but laugh, and EJ shrugged his shoulders.

“Hey, I was going to go out and buy a real one, but considering what happened to you when you stepped out for like...five minutes, I didn’t think it was a good idea,” He then chuckled, and Ricky could feel himself blushing once more.

“So...uh...you like me?” He then asked, and EJ’s expression softened instantly.

“I mean...duh? I could have easily just said we’d wait until the others caught up before driving here and I don’t know about you, but there’s no one else I facetime on a daily basis, and I haven’t thought about kissing anyone other than you ever since we got here either,”

Ricky’s heart stumbled again, but this time he didn’t feel the need to suppress or ignore it. Not with how wide EJ’s smile had gotten, his face illuminated by the display light that was shining down on them.

“Uh...right. Well. I like you too.” He then managed, causing the other boy’s smile to brighten.

“Well thank God, I thought I was going to have to write sad songs about unrequited love,” He then laughed, and before Ricky could even think about an answer to that, EJ had leaned down to press their lips together.

It was better than anything Ricky had ever let himself imagine, his arms coming up to wrap around the other’s neck as he pulled him in. At some point he felt himself being pushed against the glass door, his eyes closed as he simply took it all in, just in case this was a dream and he’d be waking up every moment.

They eventually pulled apart though, both of them breathing just a little harder, but with smiles on their lips. “That was...” Ricky muttered, feeling almost giddy all of a sudden. _Definitely not a dream._

“Brilliant? Incredible? Show stopping?” EJ tried with a grin, causing the other boy to hit him across the chest.

“You’re awful, you know that?” Ricky then teased, though he couldn’t quite hold back the laugh that escaped his lips.

“But you like me anyway, don’t you?” EJ then asked, and instead of replying, Ricky simply pulled him down for another kiss, figuring that it was enough of an answer.


End file.
